The Dyan of Burkina Faso

The Dyan of Burkina Faso, numbering approximately 37,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a small people of the Black Volta valley in southwestern Burkina Faso's Gaoua district, pushed into their present territory alongside the Sisala and Pwo when Dagara migrants crossed the river during the era of the Gwiriko Empire. They mostly adhere to Animism and Dyan is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Dyan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Burkina Faso
People Cluster: Gur
Primary Language(s): Dyan (dya)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 37,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG012393
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Dyan of Burkina Faso

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

72%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dyan
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Dyan Speakers

Media Resources in Dyan:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Dyan:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Dyan bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dyan are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Dyan:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Dyan of Burkina Faso

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that those who are lost and unaware of God's blessings will come to know Him as the one true God, put their trust in Him, and join in praising Him among the nations.

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed"
readGalatians 3:8

Ask the Lord to fulfill His promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed by advancing the gospel to every people group who has yet to receive it.

Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
readActs 2:47

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, God will use their faith and their church community as a testimony to the watching world and grow His Church.

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
readActs 13:47

Pray that as people come to faith, they will follow the Lord's leading to go to their neighbors and share the treasure they found in Christ.

Dyan Across Countries (ROP3 - 102799) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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